A Very Tall Toddler
by Rosaleen
Summary: My answer to a challenge I wrote for writers in my HPBabies group.. Another potions accident for poor Severus, with a slight twist. Not HBP compliant.
1. First Day Back

DISCLAIMER JKR owns all.

First Day Back

Albus Dumbledore walked through the corridors of Hogwarts humming to  
himself. He was going to see Severus Snape, who had just returned to  
teaching after suffering a bad bout of wizard's flu.

As he reached the dungeon, he heard a strange noise. It sounded like a  
whimper and then a small wail. What on earth was Severus putting in  
his potions these days?

Entering the classroom, Dumbledore could not see anything amiss. He  
looked around at all the glass jars. Thankfully, nothing looked alive.

Suddenly he heard the noise again. He looked down and to his utter  
amazement; Professor Snape was sitting on the floor beside his desk.  
He was hunched up, with his knees to his chest and staring up with  
wide, frightened eyes.

"Severus?" Dumbledore asked, "What has happened? Are you all right?"

Perhaps it was the shocked tone Dumbledore used or the fact that he  
looked so tall, standing over Severus, that caused the younger wizard  
to burst into tears.

Dumbledore was truly amazed now. It was very rare for Severus to show  
any strong emotion (apart from anger) and extremely rare for him to  
cry. He regarded him silently for a moment. Something was not right.

"Severus?" this time he crouched down so he was face to face with him,  
"Do you know who I am?"

"Sorry," the voice coming from the dark haired man was oddly  
childlike, "Please, no bad spell? I'll be good. I promise!". With that  
he dissolved into tears again.

Slowly and very gently, Albus gathered him into his arms. He looked  
around and saw a half-empty cauldron beside Snape's desk. Freeing his  
wand arm carefully, he conjured a small bottle and dipped it into the  
purple liquid.

"I'll have to get Horace to look at this," he murmured, "I don't think  
you'll be teaching potions for a while, my boy. In fact, I shall have  
to acquire some parenting skills very quickly."

And with that, he pulled the unresisting Severus to his feet and  
walked him though the quiet halls, all the while speaking to the  
distraught man in low, soothing tones.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The Headmaster guided Severus through his office and into the  
cheerful rooms behind it. He sat down with him on the couch and  
pulled back a little to look at him.

Severus was shaking with emotion but he seemed to be holding the  
tears back. He looked fearfully at Dumbledore.

"What's wrong, child?" Dumbledore's blue eyes were bright with  
concern.

"S Sorry," Stammered the younger wizard, "I'm not supposed to cry.  
I'm too big".

"What age are you, Severus?" The Headmaster felt that now was the  
time to confirm his suspicions.

"Three," the man answered quietly, "Daddy's going to be cross with  
me. I have to go home". The quivering intensified and Albus pulled  
him close.

"Severus," he soothed, "Your Daddy is not here. He can't ever harm  
you again. I am Albus. You remember me, don't you? I came to see you  
when you were little. You were such a good child. You ARE such a good  
child".

"A Albus," Severus's voice was shaking.

"Yes, that's right, my boy. I am going to look after you and I do not  
think anyone is too big to cry. I would never punish you for crying".

The younger man's lip trembled anew and Dumbledore pulled him even  
closer, directing the dark head onto his shoulder.

"Come on child," he cooed, "You have a lot more tears in there. Let  
them out. Let go. I have you. Yes, that's it. That's right, my young  
one. Shh".

Receiving the permission he so desperately needed, the Potions Master  
began to cry, not like an adult, trying to hold back, but like a hurt  
child who could find no other way to express his pain.  
All the while, the old Headmaster held him, rocked him and stroked  
his hair, crooning to him softly. He felt the young man almost melt  
into him and he gave him all the comfort he needed.

"I know, Severus. I know. Such a lot of pain. Such a lot of hurt. My  
poor, poor child. I failed you before but not this time, my dearest.  
I'm here. I'm here, little one".

After a time the sobs turned to hiccoughs and gradually to steady,  
even breathing. Snape pulled back a little and Dumbledore conjured a  
warm damp cloth to wipe the tear strained face.

"There, now. Does that feel better?" he asked gently. He received a  
little nod in response.

"Are you hungry, Severus? Do you need to use the bathroom," the old  
man was trying to remember what stage Severus should be at in the  
latter department.

Severus nodded an affirmative to the bathroom question and Albus  
helped him up and took him there. He waited patiently for Severus to  
finish and helped him to wash and dry his hands.

It was then that he got his nice surprise for the day. Severus turned  
and leaned against him, putting his head back on his shoulder with a  
little sigh. Dumbledore responded immediately, wrapping his arms  
around him and taking most of his weight.

"I think someone's tired, hmm?" he smiled, "I should think so after  
the morning you've had".

He led Severus back to the couch and helped him to lie down. Severus  
wouldn't let go of him so, in the end, he simply sat down and let the  
young wizard use his lap as a pillow. One hand was clinging tightly  
to Dumbledore's and the old man used his free hand to stroke the dark  
hair. Severus sighed in contentment and was asleep within seconds.

Waiting until he was deeply asleep, the Headmaster called a house elf.

"Sparkle, could you please ask Horace Slughorn to come and see me?"

With a flourish and a nod. The little elf disappeared, leaving  
Dumbledore to listen to the soothing sound of his child's quiet  
breathing.

TBC


	2. Blocks

AN: PLEASE READ: I would like to clarify that the first few paragraphs in chapter 1 are mine. I wrote them as a challenge to writers in my HPBabies group. Laume answered the challenge and wrote a fantastic story called "Kiddification", which I would recommend to you all. I only hope mine pleases you as much lol. Important to clear that up. Also you are all welcome to join HPBabies. the address is on my author page. Thanks. Rosaleen

DISCLAIMER-JKR owns all.

Blocks

To say Horace Slughorn got a surprise when he entered the  
Headmaster's rooms would have been a grave understatement. He had  
just been to the Dungeon to look for Snape when he'd found a potion  
almost ready to explode. He quickly emptied the cauldron and tidied  
up.

"How on earth could Severus be so careless?" he thought, "Come to  
think of it, where IS Severus?"

A small, slightly overenthusiastic house-elf appeared and told him  
the Headmaster wished to see him. Now, he was standing opening and  
closing his mouth like a goldfish, looking at the potions master  
sleeping, pillowed in Dumbledore's lap.

"Er Erm, Albus?" he managed. Dumbledore smiled serenely.

"Ah, Horace. Thank you for being so prompt. I have a little potion  
problem to discuss with you, quietly," he looked down at Snape, "I've  
just got him to sleep".

At this, the old potions professor did not even try to form any words.

"Severus seems to have been hit by, or swallowed, some sort of mind  
altering potion. He is now functioning at the level of a 3-year-old".

"Do you mean that potion I just found in the dungeon? It was almost  
ready to explode!" exclaimed Slughorn.

"Gracious, I forgot to dispose of that," Dumbledore used his free  
hand to straighten his glasses.

"I expect you had a more pressing problem," said Slughorn, turning  
his gaze back to the sleeping Snape, "I suppose you saved some of the  
potion?"

"I have indeed," replied Dumbledore, "It's in the bottle on that  
table. Please excuse me if I cannot reach it to you. My hands are not  
exactly free".

Horace noted that Severus was clinging to the Headmaster's hand as he  
slept.

"Well, I think the accident is probably due to a contaminated  
cauldron. I think Severus was trying to brew a calming potion. Those  
things can cause all sorts of nasty side effects if anything goes  
wrong in the brewing. I'll see what I can come up with".

"I would be most grateful, Horace. I hope we can then estimate how  
long this will last".

"Yes, indeed," agreed Slughorn, "I shall get to work then".

He got up and took a final look at Snape.

"I take it you are playing parent then, Albus?" The Headmaster smiled.

"It would seem so".

"Good luck," Slughorn chuckled as he walked out the door.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Around an hour later, Severus shifted and opened his eyes. He stared  
around in confusion and his eyes rested on Dumbledore.

"Hello, my child. Did you sleep well?" asked Albus kindly, "I'm quite  
peckish and I imagine you are, too. What about a spot of lunch?"

Severus relaxed and nodded.

Dumbledore helped him up and led him to the table, where he sat him  
on a comfortable chair. Sitting down beside him, he called a house-  
elf, who immediately brought them soup and sandwiches. Snape merely  
stared at the food.

"Open up, Severus," Dumbledore's mouth twitched as he raised the  
spoon to the Potions master's lips. Perhaps he was going too far. To  
his surprise, Severus obeyed and soon he had fed him all the soup.

"Good boy," Dumbledore patted him lightly on the back, "Now, what  
about these sandwiches. Sparkle has cut them up nice and small for  
you. They look delicious". He set some on Snape's plate and again the  
man began to eat without protest.

After lunch, Dumbledore brought Snape back into his office, where  
Sparkle had helpfully set up a play space for Severus beside the  
Headmaster's large desk. Severus proved very interested in a pile of  
coloured blocks, of different sizes and happily began to sort them as  
Dumbledore replied to his post.

The calm was broken when Minerva McGonagall stormed in.

"Where is Severus?" she demanded, "Did you know he took 50 points  
from Gryffindor for Potter's late arrival at Defence Against the Dark  
Arts? I am in complete agreement that he should lose points but 50?  
That is uncalled for!"

"Forty points to Gryffindor," said Dumbledore, "Now, kindly calm  
yourself, Minerva. Please, have a seat. There is something I wish to  
tell you. Severus.."

At the second mention of his name, Severus crawled even further under  
Dumbledore's table and let out a stifled whimper.

"Goodness! What was that?" Minerva gasped.

Dumbledore did not answer. He had crouched down and was peering under  
the table. McGonagall followed suit.

"Professor Snape. What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

The sharp words tipped Severus over the edge and he began to cry  
again.

"Minerva," Albus fought to stay calm, "Please sit up again and  
moderate your tone".

The Deputy Headmistress was at a loss for words now. As she reclaimed  
her seat, she listened to Dumbledore gently coaxing Snape out from  
under his table.

"Severus?" he called in a singsong voice, "Severus? It is all right.  
Come here, child. No one is going to hurt you. No one is angry with  
you, my young one. Come to me. Come on".

Eventually Severus crawled out and clung desperately to the old  
wizard. Albus levitated him and sat up at his desk again, cradling  
the man in his lap.

"Shhh, here, here, now. There is no need to fret, my love. You are  
safe. Everything is all right. Come now, why don't you build me a  
nice tower?".

The Headmaster waved his wand and some of the coloured blocks landed  
on his table. After some more rocking and cuddling, Snape allowed him  
to clean his nose and face and sit him ion a chair beside him.

Experimentally, Albus stacked some of the blocks in front of Snape  
and turned away, with a meaningful look at McGonagall, who followed  
suit.

"As you can see, Professor. Severus is not quite himself. Well  
actually, that's rather inaccurate. He IS himself. It would be better  
to say he is his younger self. A small potions accident, you see".

"Albus, please explain," said Minerva impatiently. She was in no mood  
for the Headmaster's eccentric rambles.

Severus flinched at the tone and Dumbledore again hushed him,  
stroking his cheek and hair, "Oh, the blue one? Yes I think that  
would be a nice touch". Severus smiled and put the blue block he had  
selected on top of his tower.

"Forgive me, Minerva," Dumbledore continued as if  
uninterrupted, "Severus has been hit by, or has ingested, what  
Slughorn and I believe to be a contaminated calming potion, It has  
caused him to regress to the age of 3."

McGonagall gaped, "How long will it last?" she asked at length.

"That, I cannot tell you. Horace is examining the potion. Hopefully,  
we shall gain some information on that when he returns. In the  
meantime, I shall be caring for him".

He smiled gently at the young man who was now engrossed in his  
building.

"I must, therefore, ask you, Minerva. Please keep calm in his  
presence. I gather (and my recollections of his schooldays confirm  
this) that he was ill treated as a child. His father, I would guess,  
is the main culprit here. It would seem he terrorised Severus and his  
mother".

"But his father was a Muggle, wasn't he?" the dark-haired witch was  
aghast.

"He was," Dumbledore confirmed, "But clearly a man of great physical  
strength and power to dominate. Magic does not do well under such  
circumstances. Ms Prince was unlikely to have had much power at her  
disposal if she could not stand up for herself or her son".

"Dear me," murmured McGonagall, "Poor boy. I should have been more  
aware, when he was young."

She reached out and gently patted Snape's arm. He looked up and she  
smiled warmly at him. Seeing the smile, Severus placidly continued  
playing.

"We should all have been more vigilant," murmured Albus, "Still,  
there is no point in mourning what we failed to do. I think we have  
to keep a careful eye on the children in our care and I will  
certainly be keeping an eye on this one".

As Dumbledore turned to Severus, there was a huge crash and the  
blocks went flying in all directions.

"All fall down," laughed Severus, forgetting his fear and giving in  
to childish mirth.

Delighted with this progress, the two older Professors laughed too.

TBC


	3. Water

DISCLAIMER-JKR owns all.

Water

The afternoon passed somewhat more peacefully. Severus played with  
his toys and Dumbledore answered his letters, gazing surreptitiously  
at his Potions Master from time to time.

When Severus became more comfortable, he began to verbalise his play  
ideas, as young children do.

"Big phoenix and little phoenix and littler phoenix. This is the  
Mummy and this is the Daddy and this is the baby one," he chattered.

"And which one is Severus?" the Headmaster smiled.

"No, Albus, Sev'us is a boy!" Snape gave him an incredulous look,  
which nearly caused Dumbledore to fall off his chair with laughter.

"I'm sorry Severus. I am very silly, no?"

Severus laughed a little.

"Now, I think we could both benefit from some fresh air. Why don't we  
go and see Hagrid?"

The Headmaster collected his travelling cloak and an invisibility  
cloak for Severus. He was certain that when the potion wore off the  
surly professor would be very displeased to hear the students had  
glimpsed his 3-year-old antics!

He helped Severus to his feet and wrapped the cloak around him.

"All gone, Albus!" Severus sounded a little alarmed.

"It is all right child. It is just the cloak. You are still there.  
Don't worry," he held out his hand to the younger man and Severus  
took it.

As they walked down to Hagrid's hut, Severus was so fascinated by  
some of the magical plants and creatures that he let go of  
Dumbledore's hand and ran off.

"Severus, Severus! Come back, Child!" Albus called. He was worried at  
their close proximity to the lake.

He didn't have to wait long for his child's return. An invisible form  
grabbed him and clung tightly.

"Big arm in the water, Albus," the voice wailed.

"That was a tentacle, my dear. It belongs to the big squid living in  
the lake. You must hold my hand, Severus. It is too dangerous for you  
to go off on your own, all right?"

He felt a small nod against his neck.

"Come on, my boy. Let's go on an adventure".

Severus began to cheer up and held the Headmaster's hand. Dumbledore  
looked around to see if any students had witnessed their earlier  
display. They had not. The grounds were quiet as everyone was  
studying for their end of year exams.

As they approached Hagrid's hut they heard a commotion going on  
inside.

"Buckb..Witherwings. Stop that thumpin' about. You're goin' ter ruin  
my cabbages!" Dumbledore watched with amusement as Hagrid finally got  
control of the Hippogriff and returned him to his patch of grass.

"Oh, ello Pr'fessor Dumbledore sir!" the half-giant called  
cheerfully, "'Ee's jus' a bit high spirited s'all," he explained as  
if in Buckbeak's defence.

"May we come in?" asked Dumbledore politely?"  
Hagrid looked confused for a minute and then said, "Oh! O'course! I  
was just about ter make a cuppa"/

They entered and Hagrid pulled out chairs for them at his huge table.

"Sit down Pr'fessor Dumbledore, Arry".

Dumbledore chuckled and removed the invisibility cloak. Hagrid looked  
at who was under it and almost dropped the teapot.

"Pr'fessor Snape. I was expecting.."

Severus merely stared at the man as if confused. Who was Professor  
Snape. He was Severus Snape?

"Severus," Dumbledore stressed the name, still smiling serenely at  
his former games keeper, "Has had a little potions accident. He is  
now 3 years old in his mind. I thought it would be nice for him to  
come and see some of your magical creatures".

He gave Hagrid a moment to digest this information.

To his credit, Hagrid recovered very quickly.  
"I've got a little owl that got injured flyin' here. I'm jus' lookin'  
after im til he feelin' a bit better".

He brought over a small cage from the corner, near his glowing fire.

"Poor little thing. Hurt his wing. Doin' much better now though".

"So I see," smiled Dumbledore, "Is it possible for Severus to hold  
him".

Hagrid nodded and Dumbledore turned to Severus.

"This is an owl, child. Would you like to have a look at him?"

Severus looked unsure.

"Why don't I hold him first then and you can stroke him?" Dumbledore  
suggested kindly.

Severus nodded.

Albus held out his hands and Hagrid placed the small bird gently into  
them.

It took a little persuasion but Severus eventually reached out and  
stroked the owl's uninjured wing.

"Soft," he murmured.

"Yes e's lovely isn't e?" Hagrid beamed and the younger wizard gave  
him a small smile.

"Why don't you hold him now?" Dumbledore said.

Hagrid positioned the man's hands properly and Albus placed the owl  
into them. Severus looked a little worried at first but gradually  
relaxed.

Hagrid spent an hour or so showing Severus his less dangerous  
creatures. Of course, it was Dumbledore's definition of the term,  
rather than Hagrid's own, which meant that Snape saw flobberworms  
instead of Blast-ended Skrewts.

Soon, dinnertime arrived and Dumbledore wrapped the invisibility  
cloak around his charge again, after informing Hagrid that he and  
Severus would be eating in the Headmaster's tower.

"Bye Sev'rus!" said Hagrid as they left.

"Bye Hag'id," the potions master replied.

Dinner was a calm event, although Dumbledore ended up feeding Severus  
once more. He wondered why the man was so reluctant to eat.

"Come on, young man. Three more spoonfuls and it's all finished," he  
cajoled, holding out a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Snape reluctantly  
finished his plate, gaining more praise from Albus.

Severus played on the floor again while the Headmaster finished his  
meal. Dumbledore noticed that he yawned several times.

When the house-elves cleared the table, Albus reached down.

"Bedtime for you, child," he said softly.

"Not tired," said Severus, stifling a yawn. The Headmaster chuckled  
and levitated the man into his arms.

He brought Severus to the bathroom and let him use the toilet while  
he ran him a bath. Severus smiled as he was lowered into the warm  
water, full of toys.

He was playing happily when Dumbledore gently eased him back to wash  
his hair. Snape went rigid with fear.

"Shh, it's all right, Severus. I only want to put some shampoo in  
your hair. It's fine. Just relax". He put a hand on the wizard's  
forehead and whispered a charm. Snape stayed rigid for a scant minute  
before he calmed down and leaned back.

"That's it. That's a good child," cooed Albus, gently working the  
shampoo into his hair, "There, now. It is not so bad, is it? Yes,  
we'll get this hair nice and clean, won't we? Do you like the  
shampoo? It's strawberry. A very talented potions professor brewed  
it. I think you might know him, child. Yes, lean back a little more.  
That's the stuff!"

Dumbledore's soft litanies kept Snape calm until he was about to  
rinse out his hair.

"No!" shrieked Snape, "I promise. I'll be good. No underwater. Don't  
like it!" he shook his head wildly, causing soap to run into his  
eyes. He cried out in pain.

Dumbledore was shocked at this turn of events. Why did Severus think  
he was going to hold his head under the water?

"Gracious! Surely not!" he thought as the horrible realisation dawned  
on him. He pushed away his disgust and anger at Snape's father to  
calm the man in front of him.

"Se ve rus? Se ve rus?" he called softly, "It is all right. I am not  
going to put you under the water. Open your eyes for me and I shall  
wash that soap out, hmm?"

He gently wiped the soap off Snape's face before again coaxing him  
into opening his eyes. Eventually, he was able to rinse the water out  
with a gentle spell.

"My poor child," he crooned as he gently began to rinse the dark  
hair, "My poor little innocent. I am not going to let anyone hurt  
you. You are quite safe. There we are. Such a good child. Goood  
Severus. Now, look at that lovely clean hair".

He let Severus play with the bath toys as he gently washed him. As  
the water cooled, he brought Severus out and carefully dried him. He  
dressed him in dark blue pyjamas and led him to his bedroom where he  
conjured a bed beside his own. After what he had witnessed today,  
Dumbledore did not want his child too far away.

"Shall I read you a story?" he asked as he tucked blankets under  
Snape's chin. Severus gave a small smile in response.

"Let's see," Dumbledore waved his wand and a book glided into his  
hand.

"The Little Hippogriff" he read.

Severus was almost asleep when the story was finished but as  
Dumbledore kissed him goodnight and got up, he whimpered and held up  
his hand.

Dumbledore smiled softly and conjured a chair beside the bed, where  
he held his child's hand and soothed him into a peaceful slumber.

TBC

"Dear Rosaleen's readers,  
Thank you for continuing to read this story, as I think it's one of the  
sweetest, cutest, fluffiest kidfics ever written. As to the confusion  
about the first paragraphs being nearly exactly the same as in my story,  
that is because they belong to a challenge on Rosaleen's HPBabies group  
that I answered. I just got round to posting it sooner. So don't accuse  
her of anything. Laume."

AN Thanks, Laume. I am very flattered by your kind words. I hope everything is cleared up now, everyone :)


	4. Fright

AN This is as far as I have gone with this story on the HPBabies group. Going to type up another chapter I've written of this and of "Never Too Late" this weekend so watch this space and thanks for your patience.

Love, Rosaleen

DISCLAIMER JKR owns all

Fright

Albus was woken in the middle of the night by an ear-piercing shriek.  
It took him a minute to orientate himself and another to remember  
that he was not alone. He waved on some candles and looked across at  
the other bed. Severus was thrashing around, still screaming. As  
Dumbledore rushed over, the potions master moved too far and tumbled  
off. Luckily, Dumbledore had a soft mat on his floor. The fall,  
however, seemed to wake Snape, who looked around groggily.

"Severus?" Dumbledore put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Snape  
screeched again and pulled back, cowering in terror.

"Child, shhhh. It's all right. It's Albus. Do you remember?"

"Albus," the small voice answered.

"Yes, my darling child. Come here and let me see you".

Severus crawled slowly forward and, very carefully; Dumbledore pulled  
him into his lap and sat with his back to his own bed, holding him.  
He felt the trembling increase and knew Severus was being haunted by  
a dream or memory.

"Did you have a bad dream, little one?" he asked softly, continuing  
to stroke the dark hair.

"B b Bad. He's bad!" Snape wailed.

"Who is bad, pet?" Albus pressed.

"Bad m m man. R r ed eyes. Baaad," and the man burst into fresh sobs.

"Voldemort," thought Dumbledore. How could he possibly be in Snape's  
mind when he's so young? He brushed the thought to the back of his  
mind for a later time.

"All right, all right, sweetie. Shhh, now. I know. I know," Albus  
cradled Snape closer and began to slowly rock him from side to side.  
The younger man gradually relaxed but kept a tight grip on the  
Headmaster.

Deciding that they could both do with more sleep, the old man got up,  
using a levitation charm to bring Snape with him and climbed into his  
large bed. He arranged Severus beside him. This proved difficult as  
Snape refused to relinquish his grip. Dumbledore calmed him again  
with cuddles and soft platitudes.

"You are safe, child. I have you. Yes, you are just fine. Come now,  
relax. Easy now, yees. Whose my best boy, hmm? Whose my best child?  
Close your eyes now. That's it. Time to sleep and have sweet dreams.  
Yees, hush. I am here. I will keep all the bad dreams away. Go to  
sleep, young one".

After what seemed like hours, Snape loosened his grip and merely  
curled up against the Headmaster like a kitten. He closed his eyes  
and put his thumb in his mouth. Dumbledore was shocked at how young  
Severus looked. The harsh lines of worry and bitterness, ever present  
on his adult face were gone. The older wizard felt his protective  
streak rising as he continued to soothe and pet him. Perhaps this  
time as a child would have a healing affect on Severus.

That thought in mind and his child snuggled beside him, eyes shut and  
breathing even once more, Albus allowed sleep to claim him too.

TBC

Well, it wouldn't be a semi angst story without a nightmare scene,  
would it? I have a great idea for the next part. If I do it right, it  
should be both funny and sweet. Here's hoping…


End file.
